What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is a major U.S. shopping day that occurs annually on the day following Thanksgiving. It is a day of significant price drops and promotions on various products, marking the start of Christmas shopping. The term was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s by police officers who complained about the massive influx of people coming into the city each year. Because the officers had to control heavy traffic, long lines, and crowded sidewalks, they began referring to the day as “Black Friday,” and the name spread nationwide.
In recent years, Black Friday has grown from a single-day event to lasting the whole weekend and extending through “Cyber Monday.” With increased access to fast-shipping and shopping companies like Amazon, many people do lots of shopping online as well as in stores.
Black Friday Rates in 2025
Despite wider economic uncertainty surrounding the 2025 holiday season—such as inflation, interest rate concerns, and uneven consumer confidence—shoppers still turned out and spent billions of dollars both in stores and online. Over the past half-decade, Black Friday spending has increased by about one billion dollars a year in online sales alone. Statistics show that spending in 2021 averaged $8.92 billion, $9.12 billion in 2022, $9.8 billion in 2023, $10.8 billion in 2024, and now reaching an all-time high of $11.8 billion in America in 2025. According to an article published by The New York Times on November 29, 2025, “Shoppers made an estimated $11.8 billion in online purchases on Friday, a 9.1% increase from last year, and spent $6.4 billion on Thanksgiving.” The ease of online shopping has led to these increased spending rates and has allowed Americans to spend more and at a faster pace. Many people will say that online shopping is more convenient than having to go into stores. According to an article on NBC News, “Traffic particularly piled up between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time nationwide, when $12.5 million passed through online shopping carts every minute.” The traffic that Black Friday usually brings even fell 3.6% in comparison to data shown from 2024. Many Americans have made the shift from the hustle and bustle of in-person shopping to online shopping. On Saturday, Adobe expected that U.S. shoppers would spend another $5.5 billion and by Sunday spending would reach a $14.2 billion peak on Cyber Monday, marking another record. This dramatic increase and shift in online shopping also has its setbacks.
Increasing Economic Uncertainty
In recent years, the economy has been unsettling and unpredictable for many Americans. Factors such as the increasingly expensive housing market, the after-effects of the 43-day government shutdown, and President Donald Trump’s recent tariffs on foreign imports have strained businesses and households. The government shutdown left many federal workers without pay or jobs during the government’s closure. The home affordability crisis has steadily risen in the United States by about 4.5% and has left most Americans spending about 30% of their income on housing alone each year. Tariffs on foreign imports have increased the amounts that businesses are charging for products, making it more expensive for consumers. This leaves many having to think more about their purchases and how they spend money. Many Americans have also begun to use the “buy now, pay later” method where consumers can pay off items they buy over time. Statistics show that this method was at an all time high on Cyber Monday in 2025.
How is this in relation to Woodford County?
Many Woodford County locals participate in Black Friday shopping and to nearby cities—such as Lexington—to do their Black Friday shopping. Many in Versailles have also joined the train of online shopping. There are typically many packages being delivered and on porches, especially around the holiday shopping season. Freshman Emily Cable said, “I like going in-person shopping because you can get ideas and see and buy things you like in person, but it’s also just easier to online shop because you can look things up and just buy them.” Students talking around the high school even said that they did some shopping in person, then went home and did the rest online.
Woodford County, Kentucky, is relatively known for being a little bit more of a “well-off” area; however, that does not mean that the economic uncertainty that has occurred recently has not been a hit for some Woodford County residents. This may impact some during this holiday season and shopping. The economic uncertainty has likely made some have to think about financial choices they make, and the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping serve as a reminder to make smart economic choices.
